Pediatria pre prax 5/2009

Obesity – associated hypertension in childhood

The increasing prevalence of hypertension in children and adolescents is strongly associated with increasing prevalence of obesity. The pathogenetic consequences are still unclear and very complicated. Obesity could be potential cause of hypertension, on the other hand family history of essential hypertension could be predictor of later onset of hypertension in non-obese children. The most obese individuals are hypertonic and mostly all hypertonic individuals have increased BMI or accumulation of visceral fat. So there is not yet sufficient evidence about consequences of these two diseases. The aim of this article was to summarise the recent discoveries of etiopathogenesis of hypertension related obesity and possibility to influence of these mechanisms in childhood.

Keywords: primary hypertension, obesity, etiopathogenesis, children, adolescents.